The proliferation of private residential developments with controlled access (condominiums, superblocks, countries, gated communities, etc.) can be seen as a reflection, and also the result, of new urbanisation processes. The characteristics of these developments reflect the most general influences currently shaping the urban space; the privatisation, fragmentation and theme park landscaping or construction of simulated spaces. Through a bibliographical analysis, and reflections on the circumstances associated with several case studies in the metropolitan area of New York, this work focuses on the causes (neo-liberal forces and global consumption patterns) and consequences of the proliferation of private residential spaces; urban fragmentation, privatisation and the introduction of new patterns of segregation.